If I had grown up in Portland, flying in and out of PDX, I’m certain that I would have become a pilot.  The views on a clear day are just spectacular.  Here’s a brief look inside my love affair with the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and Washington.

Programming note:  I’m trying new things here.  This is my first attempt at using a gallery and I’m not sure I’ve done it right.  In fact I’m fairly certain I’ve done it wrong.  But in any case, click on the first thumbnail here and then you can navigate through this installment of The Window Seat, and I’ll work on figuring out a way to make it prettier for the next one.

We didn’t have great weather when we flew to Bermuda, but at least we were able to land — several of our friends on other flights were not so lucky.  It was mostly cloudy the day we flew to Bermuda (BDA), from Richmond (RIC) via Newark (EWR), but I got some cool shots of the clouds and a few of the land below when the clouds broke.  Leaving Bermuda the next week, the weather was nicer and I captured some shots of the island as we turned west back toward the states.

We took off from RIC just after sunrise.  Once we were above the clouds, it was hard to believe just how gloomy the weather was on the ground.

Always take the exit row.  If you’re not in First Class, these are the best seats on the plane, and you’re guaranteed not to have to sit next to children.

I always think airports look really neat from the sky.  I’m not sure which one this is — anyone recognize it?  I’m guessing we were somewhere over Delaware or maybe southern New Jersey when I snapped this one:

I think this is the Wilmington, Delaware skyline, but I’m not sure.  These were the last shots I took before I had to pack my camera away for landing in Newark.  You can tell the weather was just disgusting that day.  Anyone recognize the city?

Edit:  According to a reader, this is the Philadelphia International Airport, followed by downtown Philly — I should have known I was looking at a hub.  (Philly is a US Air hub.)

Here’s a closeup:

The next leg of our flight was EWR to BDA.  I know exactly what skyline this is:

Here’s a shot of EWR, a Continental Airlines hub, from above:

My best guess is that I was looking at Long Island and the Hamptons when I snapped this shot.  Am I right?

We were over the Atlantic Ocean for the next two hours, which wasn’t much to look at.  Though even from five miles up, I could tell it was a choppy day in the water.  I knew our landing would be an adventure.  Our first view of the island was a wet one:

At this point, I put my camera away and held my breath.  It was a shaky approach, and we didn’t land on the first try, but after circling the island for half an hour, we did finally touch down with a few big bumps on the way in.  Aside from some of the scariest landings ever, the Bermuda airport is one of my favorites.  There’s a big pair of pink Bermuda shorts above the entrance, welcoming visitors and reminding you that you came here to relax.

While you wait in line at customs, there’s live local music.  The first time I visited, there was a steel drum band.  This time there was a saxophonist.  It really relaxes you after a dicey landing, and it relaxes you as you wait in the stressful customs line.

We enjoyed Bermuda for a week, which you can read about in other posts, and then we left.  The weather was nicer when we departed, and I was able to get a couple nice shots of the island on our way back to the states.  But first, I discovered that there’s a seat I prefer to the exit row, at least on a 737-800.  Bulkhead rules!  I’m almost six feet tall, with a 34″ inseam, and this is me stretching my legs straight out in front of me on the plane:

Bulkhead seats also mean you get off the plane first, which is a pretty sweet deal, but I guess you’re not here for pictures of my legs.  Here’s more of Bermuda from takeoff:

Bye, little islands, I’ll miss you!

These reefs surround the island, and have been responsible for many a shipwreck over the years — probably a large part of the reason the Bermuda Triangle has such a reputation.

Here’s one last shot of the island as we flew away:

I love the window seat on flights.  Aisle seats have the advantage of a little space to stretch out to your side and not having to climb over anyone to move around the plane, but in my opinion, the view is the best part of a flight.  I’ve recently started keeping my camera in my carry on bag so I can take photos of the views I just don’t get any other way.  It was mostly cloudy on Sunday’s flight from Portland to Salt Lake and then Salt Lake City to Atlanta (guess what airline I was on!), but there were still some nice views.

We flew out before sunrise.   I wasn’t on the right side of the plane to capture the sun itself, but here’s a hint of sunrise coming through the clouds:

The clouds started to break somewhere over Idaho:

The clouds came back, though.  I love how the tallest mountains poke through, almost like some sort of liaison between the earth and the heavens:

Flying from SLC to ATL, I was at the back of the plane, so a wing made it into most of these shots.  Some photography snobs might edit the plane out of these photos, but I like it, actually.

I really love how the low clouds just lap at the base of these mountains in Utah like a calm lake.  The Great Salt Lake is under there somewhere.

The mountains in Utah are just stunning.  I kept snapping photos until they were out of sight.

As we headed east, we crossed that great landmark, the mighty Mississippi River:

On Friday, I fly to Bermuda.  I’m hoping it’s clear enough to get some good photos of the gorgeous approach.  I’m experimenting with some photo gallery features here so that future Window Seat posts will be in gallery form — I hope you enjoy them!